The present invention relates to a tape cassette used for a printing device which is capable of printing images such as alphanumeric characters onto a tape shaped recording medium.
Conventionally, there is proposed a printing device for creating a tape by printing reversed images of characters and the like on the backside of a transparent tape, and by adhering the transparent tape to a double-sided adhesive tape having a release paper on one side thereof. The created tape is adhered to a video cassette and the like as an index and the like.
A tape cassette is exchangeably mounted to this kind of printing device. In the printing device, there is provided a cutter. The tape created as explained above is ejected from the tape cassette, and then cut by the cutter provided in the printing device.
Nevertheless, after the tape has been cut, the extreme end of the tape is projected with respect to the tape cassette because the tape has been cut outside the cassette. If the tape cassette is detached from the printing device with the extreme end of the tape being projected a finger may be touched with the extreme end of the tape and the tape at the exit portion may be pushed inside the cassette case. Alternatively, the extreme end of the tape may be retracted inside the cassette case due to the back tension of the film tape.
The amount of the tape projected from the cassette case is relatively large with respect to the thickness of the cassette case. Thus, when the extreme end of the tape is retracted into the inside of the cassette case. It is not easy to pull out the extreme end of the tape retracted into the cassette case and it would be a laborious and time- consuming job to draw the end of the tape out of the tape cassette. Further, when the tape cassette is coupled to the printing device with the extreme end of the tape being retracted into the tape cassette and the tape is created. a problem arises in that the tape is hitched in the tape cassette and cannot be fed out.
Further, in general, the tape cassette comprises a lower case member 16b and an upper cover member 16a as shown in FIG. 15. Pins 29 are provided on the under surface of the upper cover member 16a. The pins 29 are inserted into holes 31 formed on the side wall of the lower case member 16b. A tape member 26 is, in this example, wound around a spool 28, which is rotatably fitted on a shaft 27 projected from the lower case member 16b.
With this construction, if the tape 26, or, if the tape 26 is an adhesive tape provided with a release paper the release paper is deformed, or expanded due to the environmental heat or humidity, the internal stress of the wounded tape member 26 is changed, thereby the winding state of the tape member being dislocated toward an axial direction and deformed to a conical state. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 16, the outer circumference of the tape member 26 presses upwardly the portion of the upper cover member 16a which is apart from the outer circumference of the upper cover member 16a. Thus the tape cassette 16 Is deformed.
When the tape cassette 16 is deformed by the deformation of the tape member 26, the upper cover member 16a is strongly abutted against the upper portion of the tape member 26 by the force of the upper cover member 16a attempting to return to it's original state. When the tape member 26 is pulled out of the tape cassette 16, the wounded tape member 26 is rotated together with the adhesive tape spool 28. Accordingly, if the upper cover member 16a is strongly abutted against the upper portion of the wounded tape member 26, a large resistance is applied to the tape member 26. Thus, a problem arises in that the tape member 26 is difficult to be pulled out because the rotation of the tape spool becomes heavy.
Further, there is also a problem that when the tape cassette 16 is deformed, a cover of the printing device cannot be closed when the tape cassette 16 is attached to the printing device.